Sara Custer

Former Education Secretary Defends Qatar to McMahon Qatar has tapped former secretary of education William Bennett, who served in the Reagan administration, as a consultant amid mounting scrutiny over universities’ ties to the country.

Former Education Secretary William Bennett, who served in the the Reagan administration, sent a letter to Linda McMahon seeking to deflect recent conservative criticism of Qatar.
Bennett is serving as a lobbyist for Qatar.
www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

Texas Lawmakers Create Overseer to Make Colleges Follow Laws After banning DEI efforts, the Legislature passed another law this year upending faculty senates, mandating curriculum review and creating more regulations. It also invited people to complain to a new...

A new law in Texas created an ombudsman tasked with ensuring institutions comply with all terms of SB 37. The risk of losing state funding for non-compliance hangs like a “sword of Damocles” over institutions, one critic said. @ryanequinn.bsky.social reports www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Just playing loose and fast with zeros

Trump Wants $1 Billion Payout From UCLA The Trump administration is ratcheting up pressure on the University of California, Los Angeles, and seeking a $1 billion settlement, following concessions from other institutions, CNN reported. Unive...

The government is seeking $1 billion from a publicly-funded institution www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

Where Is Columbia’s $200-Million Settlement Going, Exactly? Precedents offer few clues about an unprecedented playbook.

Thanks to @sonelcutler.bsky.social for answering this question and confirming that Columbia's $200m will not go to toward safeguarding civil rights on campus but will be deposited directly into the U.S. Treasury's general account. www.chronicle.com/article/wher...

Email from the "PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE" to Kate Starbird asking for all emails from Jan 1 2021 through July 30 2025 with any of the following keywords: "diversity and inclusion" "DEIA" "DEI" "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging" "DEIB" "gender identity" "racial preference" "ESG" "organizational equity" "intersectionality" "anti-racism" "critical race theory" "LGBTQ+" "transgender" "cisgender" "gender ideology" "white privilege" "privilege walk" "cultural humility" "equity audit" "restorative justice" "racial equity" "implicit bias" "microaggressions" "inclusive pedagogy" "identity-based oppression" "systems of oppression" "queer" "non-binary" "sexuality" “Trump” “fascist”

If anyone is curious about the current list of search terms being used by right wing activist organizations to harass university professors, here's a public records request I received today from Mike Howell of the Heritage Foundation. Not intimidating or meant to curtail by my speech at all, right?

After DOJ Sues, Okla. Ends In-State Tuition for Noncitizens The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state of Oklahoma Tuesday over a state law that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates.

Oklahoma following Texas's lead in immediately agreeing with a DOJ challenge to state law. Stunning. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

So, Did I Miss Anything? “Confessions of a Community College Dean” author Matt Reed returns to his column at Inside Higher Ed.

In addition to Susan D'Agostino and John K. Wilson joining IHE as columnist, we've got a new-old author back in the seat: Matt Reed is once again giving his "Confessions of a Community College Dean" www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

This, from Susan D’Agostino, is an excellent start to her new monthly column, “The Public Scholar." Highly recommend!

Columbia Settles With Trump Administration Columbia University has reached a $221 million settlement with the federal government over claims of antisemitism that is expected to restore millions in federal research funding.

Columbia settles after months of federal scrutiny
www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

I asked my students a warm up question for class back in the fall— “if you could only keep three apps on your phone, which ones would you keep?”— and something like 1/3rd of the 75 person class had a betting app in those three apps listed. Really worried for this generation of students.

How Mass Layoffs at the Education Dept. Affect Colleges Even before the Supreme Court green-lighted mass layoffs at the Education Department, colleges were struggling to get questions answered. Advocates worry it will only get worse.

@jessicablake.bsky.social spoke to financial student aid officers on the frontlines grappling with staff cuts at ED. Phone calls go unanswered. Field offices have been shuttered. “Our communities are just not getting answers to questions that they have." www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

UVA Seeks Nominations for Interim President The University of Virginia is accepting nominations for an interim president to replace former executive James Ryan, who announced his

Has anyone in the higher ed hive seen this before? UVA is seeking nominations for an interim president www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi stands at a podium and speaks into a microphone. She is a blonde white woman wearing a black suit.

4 Things to Know About In-State Tuition Benefits for Undocumented Students

The federal government is suing states that offer in-state tuition to noncitizens. These state laws were once bipartisan efforts. #HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky bit.ly/44E4zrw

Ep. 165: The Tricky Timeline of the Big Beautiful Bill, a Mark on UVA, Record FAFSA Figures | Inside Higher Ed

I got @knottkatherine.bsky.social back on the podcast to tell us whether ED can possibly make all the policy changes in the Big Beautiful Bill due next summer with half the staff (I think you know the answer) and to chat about the DOJ's pressure campaign on UVA www.insidehighered.com/podcasts/key...

The BOG unanimously approved the new agency after repeatedly pushing back, arguing that the plans for starting an accreditor from scratch were half-baked and raising a litany of questions about how it would work in practice. By @saraweissman.insidehighered.com www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Fla. Board of Governors to Vote on Creating New Accreditor The State University System of Florida’s governing board will decide Friday whether to form a new accrediting agency with other state systems. The move would be controversial.

Today the Florida BoG will vote on forming a new accreditor. If passed, five other state systems will join the agency that will, among other things, "ensure no imposition of divisive ideological content on institutions". @saraweissman.insidehighered.com reports www.insidehighered.com/news/institu...

NIH Plans to Cap Publisher Fees, Dilute “Scientific Elite” Director of the National Institutes of Health says that capping research journals’ open-access fees will help rein in the $19 billion academic publishing industry and bolster scientific debate.

NIH takes aim at exorbitant publishing fees. Open access advocates say calling out the fees is good but argue capping them isn't the solution. Jay Bhattacharya, head of the NIH, says caps will make science "more democratic" @kathrynpalmer.bsky.social reports www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

All good questions that a financial aid officer our admissions counsellor should be able to answer

Yes, though the bill is counting all "non-federal aid" – doesn't necessarily need to be through the school

The House has voted to pass the reconciliation bill straight down party lines and Trump will likely sign it into law tomorrow. Here's a breakdown of what's in store for higher ed. Excellent reporting – and table building– from @knottkatherine.bsky.social www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Some Higher Ed Experts Condemn “Big Beautiful Bill” The budget megabill could soon head to the president’s desk, but college lobbyists are still concerned, saying it would be a detrimental overhaul to federal student aid.

NEW: The Senate narrowly passed the reconciliation bill after 37 hours of debate. It could significantly change how American colleges are run, even with some recent changes designed to soften the blow, higher ed experts told @jessicablake.bsky.social
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

4 Updates to “Big Beautiful Bill” Ahead of Final Vote Workforce Pell is back in and senators exempted small colleges from the endowment tax.

As the flurry if negotiations and voting on the Big Beautiful Bill continues in the Senate, here are the latest changes affecting higher ed (as of last night) from @jessicablake.bsky.social www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Secretly Recorded by Anti-DEI Group, Now No Longer Employed A conservative group is releasing undercover videos allegedly revealing violations of restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion at North Carolina and Florida universities. A few employees are no...

AIM—a nonprofit claiming to do "journalism" and whose donors are mostly private—has released secretly recorded videos capturing employees at six public universities saying that their institutions are circumventing state DEI bans. @ryanequinn.bsky.social reports www.insidehighered.com/news/diversi...

University of Virginia President Resigns After Trump’s Demands The move is a “major blow” to the independence of American institutions, one expert said.

The University of Virginia president James Ryan announced his resignation Friday afternoon after the Justice Department demanded he step down. @jessicablake.bsky.social reports www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Parliamentarian Nixes Workforce Pell From “Big Beautiful Bill” The decision shocked some higher ed lobbyists but is a win for critics of the plan.

If, like me, you're getting a crash course in civics while you follow the twists and turns of reconciliation, @jessicablake.bsky.social's reporting on the Senate Byrd bath includes helpful info about what steps are left for the Big Beautiful Bill to become law www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

DeSantis Announces Launch of New Accreditor Florida governor announced the state is launching its own accrediting body. Other states involved in the effort are Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

We knew it was coming in and now here it is. Follow @joshmoods.bsky.social's reporting to get the latest on a new, system-led accreditor www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Scholars Lambaste Higher Ed While Trump Upends It This year’s Heterodox Academy conference—the first since Republicans retook the White House—featured similar complaints about academe as in years past. But the federal government’s sweeping interventi...

Leaders sparred over institutional neutrality amid government attacks at this week's Heterodox convening . "This is not about just shouting from the rooftops," said Dartmouth's Beilock. “I worry that this is a new form of conformism,” said Wesleyan's Roth. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

Advocates Say Parent PLUS Caps Will Reduce College Access The loans are disproportionately utilized by Black and Latino families and the families of students at HBCUs, and advocates worry the limits will hinder access to college.

Could capping ParentPLUS loans force colleges to decrease tuition rates and lower student debt? Or would it make college less affordable and loan repayment harder for mostly Black and Latino parents? GOP lawmakers and advocacy advocates disagree on the outcome www.insidehighered.com/news/student...